Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/115

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LECTURE THE THIRD.

The Prehistoric Gods.

Two prehistoric periods bearing upon Hindu religion – Scepticism about Comparative Mythology – Difficulties in the way of Comparative Mythology – Comparative Mythology and Ethnology – The myth of Cerberus – The Indo-European period – Prehistoric words for god – Father Sky and Mother Earth – The Thunderer – The Vedic Açvins, or "Horsemen," the two Sons of Heaven – The Dioscuri in Greek mythology – The Lettish myth of the two "Sons of God" – Common kernel of the myth of the two "Sons of Heaven" – The Aryan, or Indo-Iranian period – Important religious ideas common to the two peoples – The dual gods Varuna and Mitra – Ahura Mazda and Varuna – The conception of ṛta, or "cosmic order" – The Ādityas – Aditi, the mother of the Ādityas – Mitra, a sun god – The sun, the moon, and the planets – The Ādityas and Amesha Spents – Early ethical concepts among the Indo-Europeans – Varuna and Greek Ouranos (Uranus) – The origin of man – Sundry parents of man – "Father Manu" – Yama and Yamī, the "Twins" – Interlacing of the myths of the first man – The human character of Manu and Yama – Yama, the god of the dead – Soma, the sacrificial drink of the gods – The myth of Soma and the Heavenly Eagle – Value of the preceding reconstructions.

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